Commencement Access and Accommodations

Graduates will line up in the Howard Gymnasium on the second floor of the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Field House. Kendall is not air conditioned. Water will be available for graduates. Graduates with access needs concerning extreme temperatures or mobility should fill out the Graduate Access and Accommodations Form.

Once the ceremony begins, graduates will exit the gymnasium and proceed down the stairs to the ground floor of the Field House. An elevator is available for those with accessibility needs. Graduates will then continue through the Field House and take their seats near the front of the stage.

Graduates will remain seated for the majority of the ceremony. When it is time for diploma distribution, graduates will be called to rise, form a line adjacent to the stage and cross the stage to receive their diplomas. The stage is equipped with ramps and handrails on both sides for safety and accessibility.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates will follow the stage party and faculty down the main aisles. Please note that there is no designated area for graduates to return to after the ceremony.

Most seating in Gamble is auditorium style with padded chairs with arms and accessed through four aisles of stairs. The weight capacity of the chairs in Gamble is 300lbs. Alternative seating options are available. Please fill out the Graduate Access and Accommodation Form to share your request for alternative seating during line-up.

Once in the Field House, graduates will be seated on armless folding chairs with a 300 lb. weight capacity. Chairs with a higher weight capacity of 350-400 lbs. are available upon request. You may request a chair with a higher weight capacity via the Graduate Access and Accommodations Form.

Any graduates needing seating with space for service animals, mobility aids or access to an aisle are asked to complete the Graduate Access and Accommodation Form so that we may coordinate the details of your request with you.

As of Thursday, May 21, 2026, the Commencement ceremony will be held in the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Field House.

We expect the weather will be warm, and the Field House is not air conditioned. Water will be available for all students, faculty and guests.

If you or your guest have any access needs associated with extreme temperatures or sensitivity to the weather, please fill out the Graduate Access and Accommodations form.

• American Sign Language (ASL) will be available via livestream. Guests and graduates attending the Commencement Ceremony in person may access the ASL livestream on their own personal devices or may request a tablet via the Access and Accommodations Form.
• Live captioning (CART services) will be available on two large screens flanking the ceremony stage. CART services are also available via livestream and guests or graduates can view the captions via their own personal devices or request tablets on which to view the captions during the ceremony.
• Assistive Listening Devices are available with either headphones or a neck loop and may be borrowed for the duration of the ceremony. Anyone who would like to borrow an assistive listening device should request one via the Access and Accommodations Form.

Guests, please complete the Guest Access and Accommodations Form to share your request for a tablet or an assistive listening device. Graduates, please complete the Graduate Access and Accommodations Form to share your request for assistive devices. Tablets and devices will be available for pick up at the Information Tent just outside the entrance to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Shuttle service for students will be provided by Friendly Ride Van Service. Shuttle service will run from Wednesday, May 20 through Sunday, May 24, 2026 from 7:30 am-11 pm.

The shuttle will be an on-call service.

Students may call 413-523-2607 to request an on-campus ride. The back up number will be 413-361-3311.

First call will be 7:30 am, and last call will be 10:45 pm. Individuals can expect a short wait after calling and before the van arrives, similar to the ARC shuttle during the academic year.

The driver will take two 30-minute breaks

• Wednesday: 11:30 am-12 pm and 8:30-9 pm
• Thursday: 11:30 am-12 pm and 8:30-9 pm
• Friday: 11:30 am-12 pm and 8-8:30 pm
• Saturday: 11-11:30 am and 8:30-9 pm
• Sunday- 11-11:30 am and 8:30-9 pm

As of Thursday, May 21, 2026 Mount Holyoke’s one-hundred eighty-eighth Commencement Ceremony has been moved inside to the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Field House.There is no reserved seating. Guests may arrive as early as 9 am to secure a seat. Restrooms will be available in locations across campus, and accessible bathrooms inside the Field House will be open to use by those with accessibility needs only. Additionally, there will be portable restrooms –– including accessible portable restrooms –– for guests to use, located outside of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex. Please read further for more information.

The entrance for the ceremony in the Field House is through the parking lot entrance to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex, which is on the side of the building facing Route 116. Please note that the lot at Kendall is reserved for accessible parking only. From point of entry into the ceremony, it is all one level.

A note about Commencement communications: Graduates, please make sure to check your email regularly for important Commencement information including weather-related or emergency updates. If your guest has any access needs, please fill out the Guest Access and Accommodations form. Graduates, if you have any access needs, please fill out the Graduate Access and Accommodations form. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us via email at commencement@mtholyoke.edu.

Parking is free on campus and available on a first-come-first-served basis. All guests are welcome to park in the designated Commencement lots and take the shuttles to the Commencement Ceremony at Kendall Sports & Dance Complex. The Kendall lot is reserved for accessible parking only. Please note that the ongoing Geothermal Project could impact parking locations. We encourage you to visit this page in early May for updated information.

Parking is available in the following lots. Guests may park in marked spots only or in designated grass parking lots.

Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Lot — accessible parking ONLY

Torrey Lot

Mary Lyon Lot

Observatory Lot

Morgan Street Lot

Gorse Lot

Mandelles/1837 Lot

Ham/McGregor Lot

Equestrian Lot

Guests with accessible tags and plates are welcome to park in designated spots in these parking lots. Shuttles to The Field House at Kendall Sports & Dance Complex will be available. There are designated accessible tag and plate parking spots in all of the lots listed above, except for the Morgan Street lot.

For guests who cannot use the shuttle service due to a disability, those who need alternative accessible parking, and those who are traveling without accessible tags or plates, reservable, limited, accessible parking for the Commencement Ceremony must be requested via the Guest Access and Accommodations Form. Please complete the Guest Access and Accommodations Form and indicate parking needs so that we can be in touch to review the various parking options on campus.

More information about parking at other Commencement events can be provided upon request.

Shuttle vans and golf carts are available to bring guests to the Field House from designated Commencement parking lots on campus. Shuttles will be available before and after the ceremony. They will run continuously between 8 am and 2 pm at 10-15 minute intervals and visit the following stops:

Loop 1 (burgundy):

Kendall Sports and Dance Main Entrance (pick-up and drop-off location, accessible parking ONLY)

Torrey Lot

MHC Art Museum

Morgan Street Lot

Observatory Lot

Mary Lyon Lot

Loop 2 (orange):

Kendall Sports and Dance Main Entrance (pick-up and drop-off location, accessible 

parking ONLY)

Ham/MacGregor Lot

MHC Art Museum

Gorse Lot

Mandelles/1837 Lot

Equestrian Center Lot

Shuttle stops will be designated with signage. Most shuttle vehicles (vans and golf carts) are not wheelchair accessible. If an individual needs a wheelchair accessible vehicle from a shuttle stop to the Commencement ceremony, please let a shuttle driver know. From there, the shuttle driver will call for a wheelchair accessible vehicle to come to your stop. Please note that the ongoing Geothermal Project could impact shuttle routes. We encourage you to visit this page in early May for updated information.

There are accessible restrooms on the first floor inside the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Field House, to be used by those with accessibility needs only. There will be portable restrooms –– including accessible portable restrooms –– for all guests to use, located outside of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Guests attending the Commencement Ceremony can expect to be seated for most of the event. General seating in the Field House will be ticketed. There is no reserved seating; guests may select their seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Seats must be occupied by 10 am.

The Accessible Seating area for guests will be located to the left of the stage, in the back left of the seating area. Accessible seating provides nearer access to accessible restrooms, entry and egress.

Accessible seating may be requested for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, nearer access for guests using mobility aids such as wheelchairs, rollators and walkers; aisle seating; size-inclusive seating; needing firm/level walking surface.

The majority of seating in the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex Field House will consist of armless folding chairs, each with a 300 lbs. weight capacity. Chairs with a higher weight capacity of 350-400 lbs. as well as chairs with arms will be available upon request. You may request either of these chairs via the Guest Access and Accommodations Form. A limited number of these chairs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be requested at the Information Tent located near the entrance to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex. Guests who request a chair at the information tent will be shown to that seat at the time of the event.

Guests may request accessible seating due to a visible or invisible disability that prevents them from otherwise participating in the Commencement Ceremony and related events. We’re committed to providing access to the level of your comfort.

If you feel you or your party may need accessible seating please complete the Guest Access and Accommodations Form so we can be in touch to provide more information, answer your questions, and determine together what’s best for your party.

Additionally, Commencement will be streamed with captions on a large screen so that guests will be better able to see.

Alternative viewing areas are available for all guests and do not require a Commencement ticket. Each of these viewing sites has a wheelchair accessible entrance with an automatic door opener which can be found.

The Great Room is located on the Ground Floor of the Blanchard Community Center. Blanchard Community Center is air conditioned. Seating in the Great Room includes rows of armless, rigid plastic chairs as well as padded benches with tables. The weight capacity for the plastic chairs in the Great Room is 250 pounds. Two other smaller spaces in the Blanchard Community Center – the Beverly Daniel Tatum Unity Center and Room 227 – will also be open. These spaces feature comfortable furniture and fewer stimuli. Commencement will be live streamed with captions in all three spaces.

The Morrison Room in the Willits-Hallowell Conference Center is an additional, smaller alternative viewing location for those with access needs requiring closer proximity to accessible parking and an accessible indoor bathroom. Seating in the Morrison Room will feature rows of armless, rigid metal chairs with padded seats. The weight capacity of these chairs is 300 lbs.

Gamble Auditorium will also be used as an alternative viewing location. Gamble Auditorium is located in the Art Building. There are two primary entrances to the Art Building: a door off Gateway Road leads to the third floor of the Art Building. An elevator is located at the end of the hall. Gamble Auditorium is located on the first floor. The Art Museum’s main entrance is located on a curved driveway off Lower Lake Road. The main entrance opens to the first floor main hall.

Once inside Gamble Auditorium, there is accessible seating at the top of the auditorium and four aisles of stairs leading to auditorium-style seating with padded chairs and arms. The weight capacity of the chairs in Gamble is 300lbs. Near the entrance at the top of Gamble Auditorium there is a single-stall, accessible bathroom. Near the front entrance to the art museum there are multi-stall gendered bathrooms.

Finally, the Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed for guests and graduates who cannot or choose not to attend the ceremony in person. The livestream will be captioned.

Wheelchairs can be rented from the following providers:

Mass Surgical Supply
249 High Street, Holyoke
413.532.1401
Note: They do not deliver but are not far from campus.

Agawam Medical Supply
413.789.1100
Note: They will deliver but only rent by the week and they will not prorate for shorter periods.

Whether you are a graduating student or a guest, service animals — as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — are allowed at commencement ceremonies. All other animals, including Emotional Support Animals and pets, are prohibited from the Commencement Ceremony and related events. It is not necessary for individuals with service animals to complete the Access and Accommodation form.

For more information, please see the Mount Holyoke College Service Animals Policy and the Pets on Campus Policy.

If you have any questions, please email section504coordinator@mtholyoke.edu.

There will be no food served during the Commencement Ceremony. Guests are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle. Water stations will be available in select locations on campus, identified by signage. Boxed water will be provided for graduates.

• American Sign Language (ASL) will be available via livestream. Guests and graduates attending the Commencement Ceremony in person may access the ASL livestream on their own personal devices or may request a tablet via the Access and Accommodations Form.
• Live captioning (CART services) will be available on two large screens flanking the ceremony stage. CART services are also available via livestream and guests or graduates can view the captions via their own personal devices or request tablets on which to view the captions during the ceremony.
• Assistive Listening Devices are available with either headphones or a neck loop and may be borrowed for the duration of the ceremony. Anyone who would like to borrow an assistive listening device should request one via the Access and Accommodations Form.

Guests, please complete the Guest Access and Accommodations Form to share your request for a tablet or an assistive listening device. Graduates, please complete the Graduate Access and Accommodations Form to share your request for assistive devices. Tablets and devices will be available for pick up at the Information Tent just outside the entrance to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

The ceremony program will be printed in a variety of font sizes (smaller than 14) and colors on a light-toned paper. The program is also available digitally. Guests may request the program in alternative formats, including larger print, screen-reader friendly, and Braille by completing the Guest Access and Accommodation Form. Graduates may also request the program in alternative formats by completing the Graduate Access and Accommodations Form.